Hi everyone

I’ll be honest, I have been on a search for the ultimate home office furniture for two & a half years now. It was a crazy mission going places & nothing ever materialized. Definitely Thee Almighty’s plan was better than mine. From one furniture store to the other, I was never content with what available in stores. So I built up the courage to make my own & really it cost me far less than I set aside.

I went to Board City requested them to make a table top board about 3.5cm thick, 1.8meter long & 70cm wide in a rustic wood colour. After a week the board was made, typical me, I loaded it in my mini cooper, OMG! Surprisingly it fitted & I managed to fit the off cuts too, I later used them as frames for my Arabic art around the house.

Initially my plan was to get table legs such as pipes, but trust me I looked all over & had no luck in finding them around Johannesburg. In the mean time I needed table legs for my table. Idea! I bought 6 wooden crates of different sizes from Mr Price home & used that as legs/shelves for my books…

Until months later, a bright light appeared…I was guided to Builder’s Warehouse & found these babies…”Trestle table legs”. Which were not expensive at all. Without screws just placed the table on top & Yay! Finally my office table was fully constructed. I kept the legs natural for now, maybe at later stage will paint it.As I am sure you know me by now, I love the rustic look so we shall see. However will keep you guys updated if I do.

Not to forget you remember I had those wooden crates, I just couldn’t part with them. I literally stacked them up against a wall next to the window, by a sofa, in my home office or as I like to call it “Cave of ideas”. I filled it with all my recipe books. Gosh I have loads of recipe books. And they all lived together in a happy little room.

In the picture above is where it all happens…Notice hanging on the wall is my personal vision board! I must admit its my daily inspiration & motivation to achieving my life’s. Really if there is one thing you all can learn from me, let it be that you make a vision board or at least write down your goals & aim towards achieving them. Believe me only then will you constantly be reminded of your dreams to become a reality.

Chef Tasneem Saith

Hi people

Someone or some two (because they two of them) I haven’t mentioned in a post before is my amazing brother Younus & his beautiful wife Yasmeen, a.k.a they are the Y&Y Team.

I really couldn’t have imagined anyone else for my little brother, his wife is so like him “ditto”. They really are just perfect for each other on so many levels. They both possess a kind, soft-hearted, loving & amiable personalities,  that just lights up a room. Since Y&Y are both born in January, professional scuba divers, bakers, enthusiasts about food, lovers of romantic picnics &  sentimental freaks 😉

I simply couldn’t resist, putting this gift together for them. So it does make me really delighted to know they cherish my gift & make use of it, as often as they can.

I got the picnic basket & wooden cheese board from the @home store, props from Mr Price Home, the grapes, cheese & mini cheddar’s are real just by the way from Checkers, & the non-alcoholic sparkling juice from E10.

Lots of love to Y&Y

Chef Tasneem Saith

 

Hi guys

Today is a great day & I feel like just being super generous, so I thought of sharing a little something with you all too. A recipe very close to my heart.

One of my husbands all time favourite dish. He really savours this meal & like a real good boy finishes all his food, veggies included.

A quick straight forward healthy recipe, as well as a deliciously tasting & good looking dish too.

Chicken Roulade

Serves: 2/3

Ingredients:

3 chicken fillet breast portions

150gr spinach leaves

1/2 blocks feta cheese (cut in cubes)

2 slices pineapple

Handful of fresh corn

Handful ice berg lettuce

Handful shredded red cabbage

10ml lemon juice

45ml ginger, garlic & red chilli (masala)

5ml garlic salt

5ml lemon pepper

30ml olive oil

5ml dried rosemary

Salt

Pepper

Glad wrap

Method:

1. Butterfly cut the chicken breast & put each breast into between 2 sheets of glad wrap. Pound the chicken until about 1 cm thick, marinate in masala, salt & lemon juice.
2. De-stem the spinach & blanch for 5mins in a pot of boiling hot water.
3. Chiffonade the spinach after cooked, http://www.wikihow.com/Chiffonade & in a bowl add in the corn, add spices garlic salt, lemon pepper.
4. Divide the spinach mixture evenly among the 3 chicken breasts, keeping the filling away from the edges, top with feta cubes. Beginning at the narrower end of the chicken of 1 chicken breast, roll up, enclosing the filling. To secure use a toothpick to hold but remember to take them out before serving. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
5. In a griddle pan on medium heat with a little olive oil grill the pineapple & set aside.
6. In a high quality stainless steel pot with a lid on low-medium heat, add olive oil & place the chicken roulades in.
7. Cook for a few minutes on medium & than turn the roulades over.
8. Lower the heat, sprinkle dried rosemary on top of the roulades, add a little water & cover until the chicken cooks with the steam.
9. For serving place ice berg lettuce, grilled pineapple, cabbage & chicken roulade sliced.

Bon Appetit!

Chef Tasneem Saith

Hi people

Finally I got down to typing out my DIY house projects. I love ’em to bits. Say DIY & I’m in!

Why I am so obsessed with DIY projects is, they make me get things on my wish list, without having to break the bank 😉 Since I am a fan of the rustic look, mixed with minimal modern elements & a dash of whatever is in fashion.

I was determined to really making the perfect coffee table for my home. Hence the search began… I do home-deco as a hobby.  It really gives me an adventurous challenge to look forward to. I had in mind the pallet idea I research “how to” about 30 times. So I went to Tile Africa, I know they have many pallets they use to transport the tiles. When I drove over there, I asked if I could perhaps purchase it from them. The staff working there directed me to the manager, after a little persuasion, he decided to sell me 1 pallet for 10 bucks. A helpful manager I must say.

After putting down the car seats in my Mini Cooper, I managed to fit the big pallet in the tiny Mini. With an adrenaline rush started kick in, I had that feeling that I’m getting somewhere with this! Yay! So I drove to Mica Hardware Store where I purchased some sand paper, 4 trolley wheels, some screws & a tin of white paint.

With the help from the hubby of course, because this is work for a man! He sand papered the pallet, which was a mission, let me just warn you, but eventually got it done. We than grabbed our paint brushes & made about 2 coats of the entire pallet. It was a rustic look indeed, way better than I imagined, than we screwed on our trolley wheels on each corner & voila! Our Coffee Table was born. It costed me no more than R200. Now you see why I am so into home DIY projects!

And that’s how its done!

Tasneem Saith

Hello people

I wrote you guys a little poem, I hope u like it! Here goes…

Someone cut the power cable

Seems like Breakfast becomes unavailable

Wait! I have two hands for making food, they are able

I think I have a bagel or 2 on the breakfast table

Idea! Creativeness enable…

For time in the kitchen is colourful & playful

It could not be any easier to assemble

Since, my diet is stable

Add in fruit, cheese honey or maple

For breakfast we enjoyed a fruity bagel

By far this poem is funny & laughable

LOL

I usually love baking my own yeast stuff, but due to a huge social event planned today, I had to make breakfast a quick thing. I went to my nearest Pick ‘n Pay & purchased 2 bagels which was about 3 bucks each. It would have costed me more to actually bake it, considering using the oven for just two bagels.

Fruit Bagels

I made two different 1 was an Avocado with Basil Pesto and the second was Sweet & spicy Mango & red onion

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 bagels

1 cup of fruit mango (cubed)

1 cup of firm avocado (cubed)

1/4 red capsicum cubed

1/2 red onion

4 slices tomato: 2 slices cut in half & 2 sliced cubed

Handful rocket leaves

Handful coriander leaves finely chopped

+/- 100ml low fat smooth cottage cheese (for spreading)

3ml paprika

3ml oregano

5ml basil pesto (fresh homemade is the best with garlic & chilli)

Handful eta cheese/parmesan for garnishing

Salt

Pepper

Optional 5ml: honey/sauces/dips/peanut butter

Method for the avocado bagel:

1. Cut open the bagels & toast.
2. Smear the cottage cheese on each side of the bagels (depends on your liking).
3. Add 5 ml basil pesto.
4. Add the 4 half slices of tomatoes on 1 bagel.
5. Add avocado & capsicum cubes on top.
6. Add crumbs of feta cheese/parmesan.
7. Sprinkle oregano & season.

Method for the mango bagel:

1. Cut open the bagels & toast.
2. Smear the cottage cheese on each side of the bagels (depends on your liking).
3. Add tomato cubes, mango & red onion.
4. Add paprika.
5. Drizzle honey if using.
6. Add crumbs of feta cheese/parmesan.
7. Sprinkle oregano & season.

Bon Appetit!

Chef Tasneem Saith

Good Afternoon everyone

According to the stats the most popular mocktail ordered in restaurants is the strawberry daiquiri. It’s that drink that just hits that spot. You know when you need a drink. A non-alcoholic large shot drink. Well now you can make them yourself at home.

Strawberry Daiquiri

Serves: 2/3

Ingredients:

1/4 cup rose’s grenadine cordial

1/4 cup rose’s lime cordial

1/4 cup appletizer

1 1/2 cups water

2 cups ice

1 cup fresh strawberries

20ml sugar

 

Method:

1. In a blender, combine the ice, sugar and strawberries. Pour in lime, grenadine, appletizer & blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

That’s it! Takes quicker to make it at home than ordering it.

Bon Appetit!

 

Chef Tasneem Saith

Hi guys

It’s a very sunny Saturday morning outside. I was up early, totally stressed out organizing ingredients for breakfast. I was really in such a predicament…I just could not decide between a Baguette or Omelette for breakfast! I know OMG!

So I united those 2 & called it a “DUET”. It was a hearty breakfast indeed! Awesome, super easy, totally filling & great tasting too.

Duet (omelette baguette)

Serves: 2/3

Ingredients:

1 medium French load (will post a separate recipe)

5 button mushrooms

1/4 red capsicum (diced)

1/4 yellow capsicum (diced)

1/2 red onion (julienne)

3 slices of spicy polony from your local butcher

45ml olive oil

Handful ice berg lettuce leaves

Half a block feta cheese

15ml salad dressing

2 eggs

15ml milk

15ml butter

5ml dried oregano

Salt

Pepper

Method:

1. Cut the French loaf on one side, open & grill in the oven until well toasted for a few minutes.
2. Prepare the omelette, combine the eggs in a bowl with milk, salt, pepper & whisk well
3. Melt the butter in a small non-stick frying pan, when the butter starts bubbling the temperature is right to add the eggs.
4. Pour in the eggs & reduce heat to low & leave approximately 1 minute to allow the base to set.
5. Tilt the pan side to side so the egg cooks through completely & fold over with a spatula.
6. In another pan slice the red onions & sauté in 15ml olive oil remove onions from the pan.
7. Then add the mushrooms & stir-fry in 15ml olive oilremove mushrooms from the pan.
8. Add 15 ml olive oil sauté the polony slices (further cut the polony in thin strips).
9. Add lettuce to the French loaf, place lettuce first with capsicums & salad dressing.
10. Add polony, omelette (cut to fit the size of the baguette), mushrooms, onions & top with feta.

Bon Appetit!

Chef Tasneem Saith

 

Hey all

One of mine & my sister Saadia’s, all-time favourite movie scene was from the movie “My best friends wedding”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGgdg2q1eig . When we were younger we used to act out this scene word for word, over & over, when ever we indulged in a Crème Brûlée. I guess we were just fascinated, how as a food critic Julia Roberts describes their love triangle to desserts. And till today it still cracks us up, every time we watch it.

The thing about Crème Brûlée is, its sweet, its rich, its smooth, its creamy & its got crunch too, basically its perfect! Indeed she is a flawless celebrity! Classically made with the seeds from a vanilla bean, although you never restricted to add any extra flavours of your choice that will savour every taste bud (e.g. chocolate, fruit, lavender… etc.)

Crème Brûlée

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

300ml cream

2 egg yolks

25ml castor sugar

5ml vanilla

20ml brown sugar (+/-5ml each for brulee)

1 vanilla bean (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven 180C.
2. Heat the cream in a bowl over a pot of boiling water (make sure that the boiling water doesn’t touch the bowl) if using vanilla bean scrape the seeds & leave to infuse.
3. In separate bowl with a whisk, whisk the sugar & egg yolks together until pale.
4. Cool down the cream a bit & whisk half into the egg yolks(to prevent scrambling).
5. Than add all the egg yolks mixture to the rest of the cream in the bowl, add vanilla & cook over the boiling water, until a thick custard forms.
6. Pour into 4 ramekins.
7. Place the ramekins in a baking dish filled with boiling water (water bath)
8. Bake in a water bath until the custard is set.
9. Remove from the water bath leave to cool & than chill in the refrigerator over-night.
10. Before serving sprinkle the brown sugar on the top & with a blow torch burn the sugar.
11. Serve within 1-2hours, otherwise the brulee will lose its crunch.

Bon Appetit!

Chef Tasneem Saith

Good Afternoon friends!

Just to fill you in on what exactly happened this morning…

A rather early Saturday morning it was for the hubby & I. Breakfast was early too and already at 8 am we were on the road. In what I like to call my personal “Go-Kart” or as its known, “Mini Cooper”.

It’s fun, it’s young, it’s way cool, it’s got speed of a high tech machine & ultimately stylish too, its my favourite thing ever!

Little did we know an adventurous trip was ahead, instead what we planned was to take my baby to the doctor. He needed a service at the Mini & BMW Garage in North Cliff, so we did & left him there for about a 3 hours for the mechanics to work on.

In the mean time my hubby & I took a walk to the Cresta Shopping mall, which is literally across the road & since we skipped gym today, its a good thing we got do some steps. We did do a little shopping while we were at it. The Boardmans store had a great bargain sale, buy any 3 items in store (kitchen/bathroom/bedroom) & only pay for 2! So why not! After we had a pit-stop, at  vidaecaffe , I had the Gelado (which is a pretty decent ice coffee) & the hubby Meia de leite (espresso). Back on foot again & suddenly a bright light appeared!

There it was! We spotted the   Chateau Gateaux Patisserie store… I had no idea they had a store in the Cresta mall. Just what I needed! Comfort food!!! Instantly I forgot about feeling sorry for my car…& ordered my best loved Baked New York Cheese Cake.

Its shortbread crumb base topped with thee softest, smoothest cheese cake filling, a perfect combination of sweet, cream & tang all settled together. Makes your mouth drool for the next spoon. Baked flawlessly just to put my palate in its element.

So grateful it turned out an awesome day! Great news, my car feels as good as new & so do I, after eating that cheese cake. It so hits the spot! Thanks to my love for the fantastic date & not to forget the doggy bag 😉 So if you ever in Cresta shopping mall do go to Chateau Gateaux, I definitely recommend it! With amazing atmosphere, friendly staff & most importantly a wide range of quality gâteaux’s and desserts to choose from, this my friends is the place to be!

NB: All of the factory-sealed products carrying the SANHA emblem are certified HALAAL.

http://www.chateaugateaux.co.za/

Chef Tasneem Saith

Hi Guys

Something FISHY, is going on over here! By that I mean the aroma’s in my kitchen today…OMG if I could post the fragrances I am experiencing, you would definitely stop what ever it is your doing & stimulate that cooking grove in you…Or else you going to want to kick yourself in the butt, for not trying this concoction out sooner (NB: my personal experience). A modernistic & record winner in my books of recipes. Succulent juicy prawns sautéd & tossed in a tangy lemon, garlic, butter sauce, alongside of smoky roasted vegetables & a fresh burst of herbs & avocados. Mhhhmmmm hmmmm & to end it of, before we pleasing devour our sustenance, wrap it in gift wrap & tie it with a bow. Okay, maybe not the last part, but surely we going to parcel it of in something before it reaches the opening through which humans part take in food.

Prawn Taco

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1kg prawns (deveined, shell & tail of)

1 red onion sliced

3 coloured capsicums julienne slices (optional add aubergine/carrots/pineapple)

1 red chilli chopped

1 lime

5ml paprika

5ml cumin

5ml chilli flakes

5ml garlic powder

5ml bbq spice

1 avocado

handful of fresh coriander/basil (I usually mix both)

40ml olive oil

salt

for the lemon garlic butter sauce:

30ml butter

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

15ml lemon juice

4 tortilla wraps

dried oregano/mix herbs for sprinkling

Method:

1. Preheat the oven 200C.
2. In a big baking dish add capsicums, red onions, chilli, 30ml olive oil, all the spices & mix together mix, bake for 20mins.
3. In a wide pan on medium heat, make the sauce by adding the 10ml olive oil, melt the butter, sauté garlic, add the prawns, salt & lemon juice, cook for about 5 to 10 mins or until pink.
4. In the vegetables baking dish, move the vegetables to one side,make space on the dish to  spread out the tortilla wraps & the prawns with sauce, sprinkle little extra olive oil if needed over prawns & vegetables, grill for 5 mins on high.
5. Cube 1 avocado, add juice of 1 lime & chopped herbs.
6. Assemble the taco add roasted vegetables, prawns, avocados, dried herbs & wrap.

Bon Appetit!

 

 

Chef Tasneem Saith